Estimation of coronary stenosis severity based on flow distribution ratios

Abstract

We suggest improving minimally-invasive stenosis severity estimation, using a combination of existing geometry-based methods with Transluminal Attenuation Gradient measurements. Instead of local flow values, the method uses flow distribution ratios along the entire tree. The tree geometry is used to derive a lumped model and predict the ‘theoretical’ ratios in each bifurcation, while attenuation measurements are used for extracting ‘actual’ ratios. The discrepancies between the measured and the theoretical values are utilized to assess a functional degree of stenosis. Our experimental and numerical analyses show that the quantitative value of discrepancy is proportional to stenosis severity, regardless of boundary conditions.

Keywords:

• Coronary stenosis
• stenosis severity
• TAG
• lumped model
• CFD

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mr. Eliya Shimol for his support with the numerical model and Mr. Ben Avrahami for his help with the algorithm for the lumped model.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

Hadar Biran was supported by a scholarship provided by Ariel University. The research was partially supported by a grant from the Nicholas and Elizabeth Slezak Super Center for Cardiac Research and Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University.